Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has told bishops meeting in Rome to discuss the Eucharist that they need to emphasise “communion” – the spiritual bond which ties the Church together.

“I am convinced that a recovery of the theology and ecclesiology of koinonia, in its many dimensions, is truly a fruit of the presence of the Spirit of the Risen Christ in his Church and a theme of immense ecumenical significance”, he told the bishops yesterday (Tuesday) morning, in one of the first speeches to be heard at the Synod, which opened on 2 October and continues until 23 October.

He said the relationship between communion/koinonia and the Eucharist should be “a central feature” of the bishops’ discussions and documents which result from them. He urged participants not to limit themselves to “a narrow discussion of practical norms or catechetical guidelines, important as these are”, but to keep the larger picture in mind.

“This Synod on the Eucharist takes us to the heart of all that the Second Vatican Council sought to say about Church, the world, and the destiny of all human history in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.”